2018 CL 21 RBS review

JazzyPigsGA · April 19, 2017, 04:52:38 AM

We just picked up our new Camplite last week from Southland RV. We had a two nite shakedown at Indian Springs putting about 200 miles on the Unit. We are very satisfied! We had a great walk through / training at the dealer and having moved up from a pop up tried to remember everything we learned over the weekend. We had to vacuum it down as it was full of aluminum shavings but other than that was ready to roll. We really liked the lighting and stereo but the remote battery was dead and we still need to replace.. There was lots of space for storage except the sewer tube which couldn't hold a 15 ft rhino hose. It's a pretty short tube given the space available.
Shower worked but the curtain was very cheap (and ripped) when we got it ( we assume that is because everyone will replace). Convection oven was a treat and fits a decent size casserole. For us it's quite an upgrade!
It towed great with some sway starting when I reached 72+mph on I-75. Mostly stayed in the 65-70 mph range. Went from 17-18 mpg to 9.8 mpg.
Overall awesome camper!

tbrady · April 19, 2017, 03:32:04 PM

That's great to hear. Did they happen to fix the license plate or water tank issue on yours?

JazzyPigsGA · April 19, 2017, 07:49:05 PM

I saw your post but don't recall since the pic was pulled. I posted a pic not worried about license lol. Maybe it's fixed?
I am not sure of fresh water we checked it but didn't dry camp so we drained the tank. Did see some Caulk issues but more attributed the bathroom counter to settlement. They needed more Caulk in our opinion. More shakedown coming soon

Glens2422 · April 22, 2017, 02:38:51 PM

Jazzy, we are consider same model for purchase next year. Wondering if you can answer a few questions, such as did you get the sofa or dinnette setup? What are you using to haul this travel trailer with? Is there anything you would do differently or add on that you did not? Thanks for your responses, Glen.

wakeboydb · April 23, 2017, 01:17:58 PM

We bought a 2017 21bhs and can give a few opinions. Firstly, we tow with a Lexus gx470 which does a fantastic job and we don't use and kind of leveller or sway control.
We considered the couch but went with the dinette instead. The single pole table isn't quite as stable as the free standing table of the couch model but the dinette makes a far more comfortable bed and seats 4 easily for dinner.

LANA/LARRY · May 25, 2017, 08:42:55 PM

Hi All, we are / or will soon be Newbies as order was placed for CL21RBS today! We will be following this thread with great interest. This will be our first camper, so we are true rookies and excited to get started! We were glad to hear that some tow without load leveling or stability control. That's how we plan on starting. Towing with an '02 Tundra. Any contrary viewpoints? Anyone set up rear bumper with a hitch receiver to carry about 100 lb carrier / bikes? If so, what's the setup and your experience with it? Thanks, look forward to hearing from you!

chappy133 · May 26, 2017, 09:27:48 AM

Lana/Larry, Lots of discussions on the rear bumper for bikes and the issue of weight vs bumper design can be found at https://aluminumcamperforum.com.

chappy133 · May 26, 2017, 09:33:25 AM

Also as new campers I recommend a shake down trip close to home or a Walmart. Your camper comes well set up to go a weekend without a 110 electric site (minus the AC & convection oven) or get a electric site and test all your systems. If you have issues ask another camper for assistance most are friendly and will glad to help out a newbie.

tbrady · May 26, 2017, 11:39:51 AM

Quote from: LANA/LARRY on May 25, 2017, 08:42:55 PM
Hi All, we are / or will soon be Newbies as order was placed for CL21RBS today! We will be following this thread with great interest. This will be our first camper, so we are true rookies and excited to get started! We were glad to hear that some tow without load leveling or stability control. That's how we plan on starting. Towing with an '02 Tundra. Any contrary viewpoints? Anyone set up rear bumper with a hitch receiver to carry about 100 lb carrier / bikes? If so, what's the setup and your experience with it? Thanks, look forward to hearing from you!

I added a custom cargo carrier to back of my 21BHS. You can read about it here: https://www.livinlite.com/forum/index.php/topic,192.0.html

LANA/LARRY · July 31, 2017, 09:12:52 PM

We now have our 2018 CL21RBS, really nice unit! We got the dinette and that fits our needs really well. We have not slept on the dinette bed, seems a bit small for 2 adults... but will be great for our grandkids. CL fixed the liscense plate mount issue on our unit. We pull with a 2016 Tundra 5.7L V8, plenty of power, easily handles Interstate speeds even on grades. Trailer tracks very true to the truck. Don't feel like we need trailer mirrors in our case (trailer not as wide as many out there), can see lanes on either side clearly with stock mirrors. Got about 10 MPG (down from average 15.5 MPG empty) doing mostly 65 / 70; should expect better if we can slow down to 60 MPD. Being conservatives, we installed a Blue Ox leveling / sway control hitch system (found on Craig's List for 1/2 cost of a new one). Absolutely no sway, even with semi / bus interactions. We feel hitch is a good insurance investment considering potential of loosing control under possible additive cross wind / traffic conditions and subsequent consequences. Went through a major thunderstorm on our first camping adventure (@ Lake Lanier) with a few trees getting knocked over, etc. No leaks on camper during this "acid" test! Found trailer size to be great for the two of us... think 4 adults would be uncomfortable if weather forced everyone inside for an extended period. Going to the NC mountains in a couple weeks for Adventure #2.

BFoust · August 15, 2017, 05:52:12 PM

Sounds like a great unit. Did you order it or buy from dealer inventory? I see pricing all over the board at various dealers. Were you able to negotiate a good discount?

Orance · August 23, 2017, 11:41:46 PM

Hello, guys. After reading the whole post, we can get solutions to deal with the trouble quickly and safely. Thanks for your nice sharing.

LANA/LARRY · December 25, 2017, 12:29:54 PM

Concerning pricing, we ordered our CL21RBS with just about all the options. We shopped hard and were willing to travel considerable distance to pick up the new trailer. Asking prices ranged all over the map for a unit listing around $38K. Some dealers were more willing to discount than others, but in the end we found one willing to do a $10K mark down. Could have done a little better for a left over (last year's model) unit, but wanted specific options & considering immediate depreciation of year old new unit, went with ordering current model.

May be some con's to not buying local... but thus far we haven't found any with our trailer. CL has been reported as good for reimbursing warranty issues, even at non-CL dealers so long as reasonable / reputable. Our unit didn't have any major issues, so no first hand experience on this. We did have a few relatively small issues which I addressed myself.

Back to pricing... this is my opinion only. Thor has made some revisions to CL's which are purported not to impact durability, yet certainly appear to me to have reduced manufacturing cost. Therefore, I suspect higher discounts may be a bit easier to get on recently built units than was the case for pre-2017 models.
We are very happy with our 2018, but have only had it about a year.... too early to tell for sure whether CL's reputation for durability has been negatively impacted by manufacturing changes. I expect no or minimal negative impact.... but only time will tell. New CL's are a tough, well built trailer in my opinion based on limited experience thus far.
durability

donws · March 20, 2018, 08:05:27 AM

Hi,

My wife and I are considering the purchase of a 2018 21 RBS so this thread has been most helpful.

I was wondering if any 2018 owners might answer a couple of questions about the battery setup?

Is one 12V battery provided by Livin'Lite or the dealer and is it a BCI Group 24?
What type of termination is on the trailer's battery harness, i.e. does it clamp onto battery posts or fasten to battery screw terminals?
What is the spacing between the battery support rails on the trailer's frame?

The reason I ask is that I may want to install either two Group 24 Exide Edge AGM Marine Batteries (FP-AGM24DP) in parallel which I purchased not too long ago for my existing camper. Or I may opt to install two GC2 6V (e.g. Trojan T105) batteries in series.

The typical Group 24 dimensions are 10.3"x6.8"x8.9" (LxWxH) while a Group GC2 is a bit longer/wider plus a couple of inches taller 10.37"x7.18"x10.87".

I'm wondering if I can purchase a battery box holding two Group 24s and/or two Group GC2s and fit it on the standard battery rails.

Thanks,
Don

donws · April 25, 2018, 09:10:13 AM

Quote from: donws on March 20, 2018, 08:05:27 AM
Hi,
What type of termination is on the trailer's battery harness, i.e. does it clamp onto battery posts or fasten to battery screw terminals?
What is the spacing between the battery support rails on the trailer's frame?

I checked out a 21RBS in person recently (and in fact we ordered one!) so here is what I found. Like most trailers, the 21RBS has ring terminals on the battery cables which should work with the typical 5/16 threaded battery studs or M8 terminals. The spacing between the battery rails is ~8.5 inches and the length of the shorter rail closest to the propane tanks is ~ 28". There appears to be sufficient space to install two GC2 batteries end to end using either one long battery box or two separate battery boxes. There would most likely not be enough clearance for a dual GC2 battery box in which the GC2 batteries are held with their long edges butted.

I'm also considering one or two 12v LiFeP04 batteries such as the Battle Borns as an alternative to 6V GC2s. In this case, it may be possible to fit one or two of them beneath the kitchen cabinet much closer to the converter/charger and perhaps a small inverter can fit there too. It would allow for shorter, heavier gauge wiring than what LivinLite likely runs to the tongue of the trailer. I'll know more once the new trailer arrives. We're counting down the days!!!

Don